The present invention relates generally to audio signal processing apparatus constructed to allocate desired channels or channel groups to a plurality of channel strips provided on an operation panel, and more particularly to an improvement in techniques for individually allocating each channel, belonging to a channel group, to a channel strip.
As well known in the art, the digital audio mixing consoles (hereinafter sometimes referred to simply as “mixers”) include, on an operation panel, a plurality of channel strips each having a plurality of manual operators (manual operating members), such as a fader, an encoder and various buttons. A desired object of operation, such as one channel, is allocated to each of the channel strips, and a value of a desired parameter of the allocated object of operation is adjusted by use of any one of the manual operators of the channel strip. The mixer disclosed in an instruction manual “YAMAHA DIGITAL MIXING CONSOLE PM5D/PM5DRH” published in 2004 by Yamaha Corporation and available from the Internet at URL:http://www2.yamaha.co.jp/manual/pdf/pa/japan/mixers/cs1d_ja_om_r21.pdf?_ga=1.18964 9067.145683692.1426226024 (hereinafter referred to as “Non-patent Literature 1”) has a layer function for collectively switching objects of operation to be allocated to the plurality of channel strips so that many objects of operation can be controlled efficiently with a limited number of the channel strips (see “Chapter 4 . Fundamental Operation of Input Channels” at pages 32 and 33 of Non-patent Literature 1).
There has also been known a grouping function for grouping a plurality of channels into a channel group (hereinafter also referred to simply as “group”) and collectively controlling individual channels belonging to the group (see, for example, Non-patent Literature 1 identified above, and Non-patent Literature 2 that is an instruction manual “DIGITAL MIXING CONSOLE M7CL” published in 2005 by Yamaha Corporation and available from the Internet at URL: http://www2.yamaha.co.jp/manual/pdf/pa/japan/mixers/m7cl_ja_om_e0.pdf?_ga=1.261478797.1 45683692.1426226024). For example, level adjustment and mote-ON/OFF can be performed collectively, by means of a single group fader operator, on individual channels belonging to one group (see “Chapter 7 DCA Group/Mute Group” at pages 92 to 98 of Non-patent Literature 1 , and “Chapter 11 Grouping/Link” at pages 113 to 121 of Non-patent Literature 2). Further, pages 120 and 121 of Non-patent Literature 2 discloses a channel link function for causing a desired parameter to be interlinked among a plurality of channels belonging to a group.
Although the above-mentioned grouping function for grouping a plurality of channels into a group and collectively operating the channels belonging to the group by means of a single manual operator is convenient, a user may sometimes want to operate the channels of the group individually or independently of one another. Therefore, a digital mixer has been proposed and known which can deploy individual channels constituting (belonging to) a group to channel strips through a predetermined operation. Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2011-066863 (hereinafter referred to as “Patent Literature 1”) discloses, as a technique for flexibly designating deployed-to (or deploying or deployment-destination) channel strips, dividing a plurality of channel strips on an operation panel into a plurality of blocks and designating any one of the blocks as a deployment destination so that individual channels constituting a group can be deployed to the channel strips belonging to the designated block.
However, the deployment function disclosed in Patent Literature 1 , which is arranged such that any one of the blocks, each comprising a plurality of channel strips, is designated as a deployment destination, is premised on a large-scale mixer including a plurality of the blocks on an operation panel. Thus, in applying the scheme disclosed in Patent Literature 1 , there would be encountered many limitations on physical structural conditions of mixers. Namely, this scheme is not suited for mixers where channel strips cannot be managed divided in a plurality of blocks, or are not suited to be managed divided in a plurality of blocks, such as a small-scale mixer where the number of channel strips on the operation panel is small.
Further, according to the deployment function disclosed in Patent Literature 1 , which of the blocks should be designated as deployment destinations is fixedly preset by an administrator. More specifically, such administrator's settings designate, individually for the blocks, which blocks should be used as deployment destinations and in which order, or which blocks should not be used as deployment destinations. The blocks which a user wants to use as deployment destinations may differ, for example, depending on a scene of use of the mixer. However, with the conventionally-known technique, when the blocks that should become deployment destinations are to be changed to other blocks, e.g. each time the scene of use of the mixer changes, the user has to re-designate blocks as deployment destinations. Namely, the user has to perform the re-designating operations individually for the plurality of blocks, which is very troublesome and laborious.
Further, with the deployment function disclosed in Patent Literature 1 , it is possible that, before the user gives a deploying instruction, each of the channel strips of a block designated as a deployment destination may have some channel or group already allocated thereto as an object of operation. In such a case, the channel or group already allocated to each of the channel strips of the deployment-destination block would disappear from the operation panel although the user has merely instructed deployment of a group. Such disappearance may bother the user or act against intention of the user.